Thousands of dollars in jewelry stolen from Macy's

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By ABC7

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.

It happened at the Broadway Plaza Shopping Center overnight Monday. There was a delay in the police response after the alarm, a full hour and 13 minutes. To be clear, the delay was not on the part of the Walnut Creek Police Department. What was delayed was the store notifying the police. When the police got the call, there were on the scene in only minutes. Police want to know why it took so long for them to get the call.

The holidays bring out seasonal shoppers but they also serve as an attractive target to thieves and that's what happened at the Macy's store Monday night. Crews spent Tuesday repairing the plate glass to the north doors after police say thieves broke in with sledgehammers and made a bee-line for the jewelry cases only feet away.

"High-end watches, gold, and pearl jewelry," police Sgt. McLaughlin said describing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise taken in only minutes. Police say Macy's has yet to release a full inventory of what was stolen.

Shoppers were surprised by the damage and the brazen crime. "I was a bit shocked. I've never seen it before here," one woman said. "They broke through the door there, that's too bad. I love the store. I'm sorry it happened to them," another woman said reacting to the news.

Investigators are using surveillance video to piece together clues and find out why did it took so long for police to be notified. "Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to that question yet," McLaughlin said. But the Walnut Creek Police Department is looking for one.

The store's alarm went off at 3:15 a.m. but his department didn't get a call until 4:28 a.m. "Sometimes, stores have a policy set up where their alarm company notifies their own security prior to calling the police department," McLaughlin explained. While police wait for an answer to the time issue, they do know why the thieves chose these particular doors to hit. "It's the closest to the jewelry department," McLaughlin said.

The doors of the story may be boarded up for a while. The 24-hour emergency repair company says it can take up to a week to replace glass this weight and size. A Macy's spokesperson declined to be interviewed but did say the burglary would not disrupt their operations or their ability to service their customers.

Police say they have seen windows smashed and merchandise grabbed in the past, but they don't believe this is a crime on the rise.